Pain in the….

It’s my lunch hour. Well, sort of. Unless I physically leave the office then I’ll pick up the phone if it rings, sign for a courier, or direct a client.

I’ve been trying to get my fitness schedule back on track since January. It started off pretty good…then I tweaked a muscle in my right calf. Of course being the fool hardy gal that I am, I kept running on it, kept hitting the gym and tossed in my weekly Yoga class for good measure.

I was certain that it would just heal. At some point in time I recall reading an article that you had to work through these pains.

Perhaps I should have researched what the operative word ‘work’ actually means in this context.

The injury became worse, to the point that I was limping a bit. I finally clued in that I needed to rest the leg and roll it out.

Three weeks later and I’m once again beginning the slow climb back up the fitness ladder.

And I’m sore.

I went for my first run in three weeks last night. I felt sluggish and heavy. Gravity had surely become denser, yes? I was at the gym this morning for a light workout. The body has that familiar tightness that comes with the start-up of regular exercise.

Oh, I do know that I have to go through the pains….again. Doesn’t mean I have to like it.

I want to get fit though. I miss the energy I had just over a year ago.

I’ve put about 35 lbs. on over the course of the cancer treatments and my body core is ridiculously weak. This is understandable considering it was my mid-section that has taken the brunt of the abuse.

I just remembered I was supposed to have won an Oscar this year as well, was I not? I do recall writing a blog early last year stating precisely how this was to come about.

Well, there is always next year. Perhaps Ellen will order Pizza again. Mind you, on Oscar night I had a ridiculous craving for Chinese take-out and that was my indulgence for the night.

What I have come to learn is that the tightness I am feeling in my musculature these days is likely related to the chemo and radiation treatments. Apparently the debris and carnage remains in the body for up to a year.

Boo! I say, Boo!

The pain I am feeling then is not the typical aches that come with beginning a workout routine. And in truth, I did workout throughout the whole cancer thing, albeit on a rather minimal schedule. Still, it stands to reason that the body wouldn’t be completely out of shape then.

I spoke with a woman at my running group last night. Angela is a nutritionist at Inspired Health. The organization works with cancer patients on a more holistic approach. They offer up nutrition advice, meditation, yoga, etc.

Angela mentioned that I may be feeling extremely tight as my electrolytes may be completely out of whack. She suggested that I add a 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt to my water before drinking it. Also, coconut water is really good for restoring the electrolytes as well.

So I will implement this into my daily routine and let you know if it makes a difference. I’ve got a few good recipes for drinks designed to flush out the organs and am on the hunt for more. This, in my mind, will perhaps assist the body in ridding the residue that remains from treatment.

I will carry on. I’ve been told that the very fact that I’m managing the exercise level that I am at this time is remarkable. I can’t say if this is true or not. I don’t have a lot of experience with illness.

I love and appreciate that I can still run, that I can still hit the gym, that I can move.

I was reading a few quotes from writers yesterday. I thought I would share a few and I’ve come up with one of my own.

Have a fabulous day!

“And what does writing teach us? First and foremost it reminds us that we are alive and that is a gift and a privilege, not a right.”

-Ray Bradbury

“Writers see the world differently. Every voice we hear, every face we see, every hand we touch could become story fabric.”

-Buffy Andrews

A good writer can make you see the image that has been painted on the page. A great writer will make you feel it.